Individuals with schizophrenia consume nearly three times more caffeine than the general population. In healthy controls, caffeine intake has been linked to better cognitive performance on several of the cognitive domains typically impaired in patients with schizophrenia. Despite this, only one prior study examined the association between caffeine intake and cognitive functioning in patients with a psychotic disorder. The current cross-sectional study compared moderate (0-250 mg/day) and high caffeine users (251 mg or more/day) on measures of cognitive functioning and symptomatology in 19 outpatients diagnosed with either schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Participants were divided into one of the two caffeine groups based on their self-reported daily caffeine intake. Primary analysis was to compare moderate and high caffeine users on measures of cognitive functioning, namely working memory, sustained attention/vigilance, processing speed, verbal learning, and visual learning. Secondary analysis compared moderate caffeine users to high caffeine users on measures of symptomatology, namely positive symptoms, negative symptoms, and cognitive symptoms. Measures included the Cogstate battery and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Independent samples t-test was used to examine potential differences between the two caffeine groups on measures of demographic and illness-related variables, cognitive functioning, and symptomatology. The results showed that, when assessing demographic and illness-related variables, participants with high caffeine consumption were prescribed higher antipsychotic doses and were more dependent on nicotine compared to participants with moderate caffeine consumption. With respect to cognitive functioning, participants with moderate caffeine consumption demonstrated better performance on a task measuring executive function (e.g., the Groton Maze Learning Test) compared to participants with high caffeine consumption. Finally, with respect to symptomatology, participants with high caffeine consumption demonstrated fewer negative symptoms compared to participants with moderate caffeine consumption. No other differences were discovered. In conclusion, the results from this study appear to suggest that moderate caffeine consumption, rather than high caffeine consumption, is associated with better cognitive functioning in patients with schizophrenia, while high caffeine consumption, rather than moderate caffeine consumption, is associated with fewer negative symptoms without necessarily exacerbating positive symptoms. The small sample size in this study limits the generalizability of its findings. More research is warranted.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ETSU/oai:dc.etsu.edu:asrf-2132 |
| Date | 25 April 2023 |
| Creators | Topyurek, Mehmet, Good, Kimberley |
| Publisher | Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University |
| Source Sets | East Tennessee State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Source | Appalachian Student Research Forum |
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